The Power of Three is Broken
by Phoebe Turner
Summary: Something is going wrong in the Halliwell manor. Words are said things are done that will be regretted. Is the Halliwell family strong enough to stay together?
1. ......

**Enjoy the story. The beginning might confuse you but it'll all make sense**

**If you were reading my other fic I will not be finishing. Personal reasons... sorry**

"Cole!" Phoebe Yelled. 

But it was too late. He was gone. Shimmering away into thin air. She tried and tried to plead with him. Tell him that she was sorry. That it was all a mistake but he wouldn't listen he wasn't there to listen. How many times had she forgiven him? And just this once Phoebe needed some one to forgive her. To hold her. To comfort her. To help her.

It wasn't even her fault. She didn't know what was happening she just knew that ever one in her life hated her.

Those people were gone now. How could he do this? Leave her a lone when she felt so bad. Her insides felt like they were being torn apart. It hurt so much to have your whole family abandon you. Phoebe threw a coat over her shoulder and headed to her room. The power of three was gone and San Francisco held too many bad memories for her.


	2. Chapter 1

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**One week earlier**

"I have a plan." A shadowy figure said.

The source appeared by him with a thick low voice he said. "Tell me."

"The Charmed Ones... To defeat them we take away what matters to them the most." He paused. "There love. For each other and everyone else."

"Don't test me Tripocie. You will pay severely if your plan does not work. You are to destroy the power of three and bring me one of the Charmed Ones alive as a trophy. I myself have some ideas."

Tripocie was a tall demon with three eyes and wrinkled brown skin. He was muscular and bald.

********

Phoebe sat straight up on her windowsill looking out at the front lawn. With a sigh she got up and walked to her dresser to admire the pictures of her and the man she loved so much... Cole Turner. She lovingly stroked his face with her finger and set the picture back down.

"Cole... where are you?" She murmured to herself trying to contain the tears that she felt sting her eyes. 

It had been almost a month with no sign of Cole. Was he ok? 'No!' Phoebe though to herself. 'If he was ok he'd be here!' Piper and Paige had helped her with tracking spells and summoning spells but it never worked once.

"Be positive Pheebs." "Believe" were the words that her sisters had repeatedly given her. But how was she to believe the man that she loved couldn't even take two seconds to let her know that she was ok? "He's just tied up is all..." She reassured herself. "He has some unfinished business and he'll be back soon."

She couldn't hold it in. She let out a long hard cry and fell onto her bed. "I'm supposed to be the strong one." She mumbled and buried her face into the pillow.

********

"Piper...." Paige said as she entered the kitchen in a black mini skirt and fuzzy pink halter-top. She eyed her sister who wore black jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. 

Piper barely looked up from her pot of boiling water. She tightened her grip that she had on the counter and let a long drawn out sigh. "What Paige?" She asked impatiently.

"Oh... Sorry. If it's a bad time I can you know just head up to my room."

"Well actually-"

Paige cut her off. "I'm just really really worried about Phoebe. She's been crying for the last 2 hours! I'm also kind of worried about Cole. I mean... I don't know him but for Phoebe's sake I hope he comes home."

Piper looked up at Paige with a weak smile. "Me too Paige. You'd think that a man who loved my sister so much could take at least five damn seconds to reassure her of his own safety." She scowled at the thought of Phoebe losing Cole. "If he hurts her..." She formed a circle with her two hands as if she was choking someone. "I'll vanquish him myself! He seems like nothing but trouble. And Phoebe is always so forgiving!"

The water boiled over and splashed on Piper's hand. "Damnit!" She screamed and raced to the sink.

Paige stood in horror as she watched Piper rinse her hand under the cold water. "Err... Piper? Are you ok?"

Piper turned the water off and looked back at her sister standing in the doorway. "What do you think? I lose one sister. My other one's going to go crazy because of her boyfriend and I nearly lost my hand!" She focused her glance at the ceiling now. "So why don't you answer your own question! What the hell do you think?" 

Piper turned the stove off and rushed Past Paige. "I'll be at the club!"

She heard the door slam and the car start and didn't even turn around. "Maybe I should have just stayed at my apartment. At least I didn't have people screaming at me." Paige told herself. "Calm down Paige! Piper has every right to be mad." Pulling on her mini skirt she sighed. "Why am I trying to talk reason to me?"

******

Phoebe looked up when she heard an urgent pounding on her door. "Come in!"

"Phoebe!" Piper and Paige rushed in together holding hands. "It's Cole!" Piper said. "He's dead! He's Dead!"


	3. Chapter 2

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**Next day**

With a loud cry Phoebe heard her alarm clock go off and she woke up. Still crying and not fully recovered from her dream she hit the snooze and sighed. Just another day. The only difference is that she would find Cole today no matter what the consequences.

Phoebe stood and quickly undressed, changing into a black sports bra and sweat pants. She tied her hard up and put a sweat band on. 'First...' she thought. 'I need to let off some steam' With that she headed off for the basement just to be intercepted at the bottom of the stairs by Piper who gave her a weird almost evil smile.

"What's wrong Pheebs? Still belly aching over Belthazar?" She laughed. "No point crying over spilt milk. He's gone. That's that. He doesn't love you."

Dumbfounded by what Piper had just told her Phoebe stood at the bottom of the stairs until her sister vanished into the kitchen. How could she? There must be an explanation because Piper wasn't ever so heartless to her. Taking a deep breath to contain herself Phoebe stomped into the kitchen. "Piper." She said in a normal voice like nothing had happened. "What was that about?" The annoyance rose in her tone as she watched her sister smiles at her.

"What was what about Pheebs?" Piper went into the fridge and pulled out some orange juice. "Want some?"

"Piper! You just made me feel like two inches tall!" Phoebe shouted. "How can you act so normal?"

With a puzzled look on her face Piper put the carton down and sighed. "Phoebe, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. I've barely said a whole sentence to you for the past week let alone belittle you. 

Paige walked into the kitchen behind Phoebe with a look of total unhappiness. "Good morning fellow sister room mates." She said smartly.

Everyone glared at Paige as if she had entered some forbidden conversation.

"Another bad time... Is it ever an ok time to talk to you two? Piper you avoid me and Phoebe you stay locked up like an old hag in your room balling your eyes out." Paige stepped between the two. "BOOHOO! Poor me a lousy fool like Belthazar doesn't love me." She paused and looked at Piper. "Just because Phoebe is a mess up and Prue died doesn't mean you have to hate me!" 

"Paige... sorry." Piper said. "Don't you think your being-"

Paige just her off with a loud moan. "Just shut up Piper. Never willing to listen to Paige now are we? I'm warning you... You DON'T want to be my enemy Piper! But that can be easily arranged!"

Phoebe didn't understand what was going on. Was she really that stupid for balling over some demon who could never fully be human? 'No' she thought. 'Because I love him. The real human part of him.' But maybe what Paige had said about her was true. Maybe she was ignoring her family. But Piper being that mean? She had just shown it about five minutes ago.

"i'll be in the basement." Phoebe spoke up. Her sisters were still bickering but stop when her voice arose.

"Don't care what I have to say? You know what? I'm moving back out!" Paige shouted.

"Paige! I said I was sorry!" Piper shouted. Now there focus was back at each other. 

"Too late Piper!"

Phoebe raced to the basement. It was only normal sister problems she told herself over and over. Or had in some way magic interfered?

******

Paige sat in her room eye balling the frames that she had just hung up. She smiled at how straight she had made them and jumped at a knock on her door.

"Come in." Paige said as she sat on the bed.

Piper came in. "Paige! I want you out!" She yelled and threw a bunch of boxes on the floor. "Start packing Hun!"

"But I..." She pointed to the pictures she had just hung.

"Ha... think I care?" Piper asked and with a swipe of her hand she knock all of the photos off the wall causing glass to break as it hit the ground. "Problem solved. Now get out!" 

Paige sat on her bed for a second hearing what Piper had to say but not really hearing it fully. "Did I do something?"

"You're just not Prue! And guess what Paige you will never be so stop trying to act it out!" Piper kicked the boxes forward. "You're packing awfully slow considering you only have an hour. Then let over can go to Salvation Army!" Piper turned towards the door and took off down the hall.

******

There was a knock at Paige's door. Phoebe came in bringing a weak smile along with her.

"So you're really going through it?" She asked.

Paige looked up. Her blood shot eyes and tear stained face made Phoebe want to cry. "Piper hardly gave me a choice."

"What?" Phoebe asked in confusion. "You decided on this..."

******

Tripocie stood outside of the Halliwell residence. He smiled and stood quite satisfied with himself. He had gotten Phoebe mad at Piper and Paige and Piper in a rumble. He loved tapping into their brains and acting out as them making each other utterly miserable. Now that he had gotten Piper and Paige made and convinced each of them that Paige was moving out, Piper thought on free will and Paige thought the real Piper had forced her, the power of three was a little weaker. All along it was him acting out these awful deeds, making the Halliwell's house a living hell. He still needed to watch closely though. Phoebe seemed suspicious. Maybe he needed to do something a little more brutal to her.

%%End Chapter #2%%

Next Chapter will be up tom!


	4. Chapter 3

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**Next day**

Phoebe sat in the kitchen with the Book on shadows on the table skimming through it. Her plan to find Cole yesterday had failed due to the fight between her two sisters. She had tried to mediates their little dispute but each of the sisters believed that the other wanted Paige to move out. She couldn't handle much more. This new being the middle sister thing really blew. She couldn't do it.

She had delayed Paige's moving and said that she could take as long as she wanted because Paige thought Piper said she only had an hour to pack.

That hadn't worked so she went to the book in search of some answers or at least clues. She had called for Leo and he was trying to get answers, she had even tried to call on her Grandma and mother but no one was answering today.

Phoebe passed by the Belthazar page.

"Phoebe?" Piper asked as she walked into the kitchen. "It's six in the morning and you're up?"

"Yeah... I think there is something up. I mean we are fighting constantly and don't even know why. It's like some one is controlling us." Phoebe explained. "I spent the night looking for something.

Piper laughed. "Why blame your stupidity over that demon and Paige's bitchiness on some sort of supernatural. It was bound to happen... Us brake apart I mean. Me and Paige are just ready earlier than you. Get used to it. You can't cling to us forever." Piper walked to the fridge. "You would say something like that..."

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked. She held back tears because of Piper's cruelty.

"Blame supernatural because you just don't want to deal with it. The easy way out. Either running or blaming some source of evil."

******

"Bring Belthazar here to me!" Phoebe shouted. She stood in the attic in the same clothes from her training. Looking up from the book she saw a shimmering appear. 

Cole appeared in front of her eyes. His arms wrapped around some one she didn't expect then to be around.

"Piper!" Phoebe shouted.

The two looked around in a dazed sort of way. "How'd we get in the attic..." Piper asked as she look to her sister.

"Cole! What are you doing?" Phoebe demanded.

Leo orbed in facing Phoebe "The elders said they don't sense any..." He voice trailed off when he noticed that Phoebe wasn't paying attention to him. Leo turned and saw Piper and Cole hugging.

Cole pulled his armed away from Piper and smiled. His face was covered in lipstick and his pants unbuttoned. "We were just..."

Piper did the same. "Training!" 

"Piper?" Leo said as more of a question. "How could you do this to me? How could you do this to your sister?" 

Phoebe's head pounded and her legs got weak. "I can't believe it!" She screamed. She knelt down gripping her head and moaning. "Everyone leave! NOW!"

She heard footsteps and the attic door close only Leo remained. "Phoebe." He rested a hand on her shoulder. Phoebe stood and hugged Leo. She would never do something like that with Leo. He was like a brother. Always there.

"I thought he loved me. I don't understand." She cried harder as Leo wrapped his arms around her.

"I did too. I thought Piper was the best thing in my life. Now I know that was a mistake." Leo stopped for a second and sobbed too. "I don't think I can do this Phoebe. Be your whitelighter anymore. I just can't bare to look at Piper anymore. I just can't bare to hurt like I just was." He stroked her hair. "The elders said they would be watching closely after our marriage. We have proved them right. A witch and whitelighter just don't work."

"Leo... You can't leave! Paige is leaving! Piper and Cole have each other I need guidance and help." She looked straight at him. "So you aren't giving Piper another chance?"

"I saw this happening sooner or later. Not her having an affair with Cole but us breaking up. I hoped it would last forever but with me never around I could kind of see that our love couldn't last through this kind of strain forever." His expression changed from sad to worried. "Paige is moving out? When did this happen?" 

Phoebe explained the whole situation to Leo. They sat on the floor for a while trying to figure it out. "So you're saying Paige says Piper kicked her our and Piper is convinced Paige said she wanted to leave?"

"Yeah! But I was there when Paige flipped out and said she was leaving. I told Piper that I thought is was something supernatural but she had gotten a little protective over that conversation. Now the elders find nothing and I agree. I just think it's time to find another power of three. We can't handle it."

"Phoebe. You are so powerful. Not just physically but mentally and in your heart. You can't just throw it all away. Give me another day before making any big decisions ok? I'll go do some research also and try to see what's up in this house." He gave her a little smile. "Ok? Now I need to go talk to Paige."


	5. Chapter 4

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**Three days later**

Life had changed drastically. Leo had had an affair with Paige which Phoebe found suspicious and he had never come back with the information he had promised. Piper was constantly sulking in her room and Paige had left for Australia. Phoebe hadn't seen Cole again for the past three days. It didn't matter though she would have probably just shut him out. He had made so many mistakes but to her this was by far the worst one. And on top of this all the Power of three was broken but another fight between her and Piper.

She sat in the living room alone that day listening to the dreary sound of rain running off of the window sill. She had thought about leaving quite often and new that was what she was going to do. Even if it meant never seeing her sister again. No demons had visited for a while which was weird but a big relief to Phoebe. Without the power of three they would be vanquished anyway,

******

'Tomorrow' Tripocie thought. 'Tomorrow the killing of the Charmed ones would be his. He just need this last day to plan it out.'

He stood in the layer of the source waiting to give his report. A definite victory! Tomorrow he'd have the Charmed ones and the sources praises. Everything was working smoothly.

The source appeared behind Tripocie. "Report and make it quick."

"I have them right where I want them!" He smiled. "They have broken the power of three. "Paige is in Australia, the whitelighter has been busy with other charges and believes Piper slept with Cole. Phoebe believes the same. Piper believes Leo slept with Paige. Phoebe was caught it the middle of it all and utterly destroyed by it."

The source stepped in front of Tripocie. "Don't blow it like Belthazar did. We have been hunting him so he would stay out of the way of you and your goal. For the past week we had him trapped but he escaped. Make sure he doesn't meet up with the witches. This may ruin your plan." He stopped talking and looked around. 

"Any special requests on which witch to get??" 

"Well... since my oracle's death I could use a person who has some view of the future."

"Phoebe. It is as good as done. But Why do you need one of the witches when they have lost their powers?" 

"Too many questions Tripocie. The oracle had once told me that if I were to wed a Charmed one the baby that we would have would rule the earth. Besides I don't plan on ruling forever. I can restore the Charmed one's powers if I want. Questions answered now finish what you have to do. But first make sure Phoebe's life is really bad. We need her to want to revert to the dark side." The source disappeared from sight.

******

Cole Turner walked down the street to get to the manor. Tripocie sensed him and immediately started a meditation to keep Cole from noticing him. With his mind he formed Phoebe and Leo. Phoebe stroking his face and Leo smiling.

"This should get your attention." Tripocie said to himself.

Cole stopped dead when he saw this. Phoebe and Leo kissed and smiled at one another.

"Phoebe!" Cole shouted as he rushed up to them.

"Oh look who it is. Just get lost buddy!" Phoebe remarked in a loud tone of her own. "You're never around anyway! How's a girl to keep herself satisfied?"

"I can't believe you Phoebe." Cole's soft sad eyes turned hard and Cold. "How can you sit here so casually and act like nothing happened?" Cole watched as Phoebe gripped Leo's stomach and Leo smiled. "You're the one thing that keeps me good Phoebe. The only reason I live." 

"Boohoo." Phoebe pretended to cry. "Now leave!"

Cole turned and started off down the street when he looked back Phoebe wasn't there neither was Leo.

******

Phoebe looked out the window just in time to see Cole storming away. She needed to find out why he would do this to her. She needed to find out now. She raced out of the door hoping that he wouldn't shimmer away before she got to him. "Cole!" She shouted. She grabbed his shoulder and he spun around. "Why?"

"Why what? Answer your own question Phoebe! Get out of my face! Of all people to sneak behind my back with you chose Leo?" Cole asked.

"I didn't sneak behind your back! Not even after I found out about you sleeping with my own sister!" Phoebe screamed. She rose her hand and slapped him. "How dare you accuse me of that!"

Cole rubbed his face. "You were just! Never mind. Phoebe... you hurt me. You were the only thing I ever loved. I will never forget what you have done." 

"Paige is gone Cole and now I'm leaving for New York again. My sister is in her room! If you want to screw her wait till I'm gone at least!" She stormed back off to the manor and inside slamming the door behind her. Confused and hurt Phoebe slid down the door and cried. 

A premonition broke threw her thoughts. A tall demon with three eyes stood above the Book of shadows. She saw her and Piper screaming. The demon laughing. Leo and her kissing. Paige and Piper yelling. The source appeared and Phoebe was by his side in a black gown... smiling.

******

"That was close" Tripocie remarked to himself. "Too close."

Cole walked behind a tall bush. For a second he felt Tripocie's presence but it disappeared. And with that he shimmered away.

Phoebe ran outside. And Tripocie worked his magic making Cole appear again.

"Cole! You can't! There's a demon! He's making us think all of this stuff! I swear! I would never do anything with Leo." Phoebe had expected at least and ok from him but he said nothing. "Cole please! I need you too help!"

"Phoebe! You don't know anything! I really did sleep with Piper." Cole yelled. He wrapped his hands around Phoebe's throat. "Now you and your whitelighter friend leave me alone before I snap this pretty little neck of yours."

"You're serious." Phoebe said weakly. "Cole!" Phoebe yelled

But it was too late. He was gone. Shimmering away into thin air. She tried and tried to plead with him. Tell him that she was sorry. That it was all a mistake but he wouldn't listen he wasn't there to listen. How many times had she forgiven him? And just this once Phoebe needed some one to forgive her. To hold her. To comfort her. To help her.

It wasn't even her fault. She didn't know what was happening she just knew that ever one in her life hated her.

Those people were gone now. How could he do this? Leave her a lone when she felt so bad. Her insides felt like they were being torn apart. It hurt so much to have your whole family abandon you. Phoebe threw a coat over her shoulder and headed to her room. The power of three was gone and San Francisco held too many bad memories for her.

******

Knocking on Piper's door Phoebe began to weep. She had to correct everything. Something wasn't right. She could tell that much. Something had taken over the form of her and her sisters and tried to make there lives Hell. There was no answer. Phoebe knocked harder. Still nothing. Phoebe barged into an empty room. The closet door was open and everything was gone. Her bed, nightstand and dresser was all that remained besides a few articles of clothing and her electronics.

"Oh Piper!" Piper had gotten the same idea. Phoebe put her coat on and grabbed the one bag that she had in the hallway. "I'm sorry... mom grams! I can't do it!" She took her empty book bag and headed for the attic. She went for the book of Shadows but it was gone. "Piper!" She screamed.


End file.
